Faaturuma (Melancholic), 1891
Paul Gauguin
French (1848–1903)
Oil on canvas
"Disillusioned with modern society, Paul Gauguin left France for Tahiti in 1891 in search of an earthly paradise that he imagined was untouched by civilization. Upon arriving, he realized that colonialism had all but eradicated traditional Tahitian culture. Here, a Tahitian woman wears a Western-style dress and gold marriage band introduced by Catholic missionaries. In order to emphasize the “exoticness” of his subject, Gauguin gave his painting a Tahitian title, Faaturuma. This roughly translates to melancholic or brooding; Gauguin appears to be commenting on the sadness of this lost paradise."
Maverick Mist 
This is beautiful. I love the color of the dress surely Tahitian red 😊
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The colors of paradise. Thanks Holly. 🙂
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indeed! 🙂
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This is a beautiful, expressive painting. I can’t help but wonder what he would have thought about today’s “modern society”.
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I kind of feel that he might not think today’s society is any better. 🙂
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